Pelosi knew exactly what she wanted to accomplish as speaker and she laid that agenda out clearly when I interviewed her in July 2008. Her three priority pieces of legislation—"Jobs, healthcare and energy."

And that's just what a politically diverse House Democratic caucus pulled off under her progressive leadership.

It passed a healthcare bill that included a public option, and taxed the wealthy rather than workers' benefits. And when the bill looked all but dead no one fought harder to revive it than she did. It passed a larger stimulus bill than the Senate and bolder jobs bills. And it passed an energy bill that capped carbon. In all, more than 400 House bills weren't even voted on by a meek Senate straitjacketed by the filibustering GOP and enough conservative Democratic accomplices.

Ok...here's the deal. Nothing Pelosi did moved in the direction of jobs, making healthcare affordable or providing inexpensive and plentiful energy to the citizens of the United States. The healthcare bill whether hers or the one finally passed did nothing to address cost. It was and is nothing more than another attempt to buy votes with tax money. No energy bill with a carbon cap is going to help bring about jobs. Spain's experience has made that painfully clear as they become another EU member in a deep fiscal hole.

But one thing she didn't count on was a monolithic Party of No in the Senate. Like President Obama, she seemed to have some faith that there would be reasonable people across the aisle. "They'll have to search hard and long for some Republicans who will want to stand in the way of progress," she told me.

But she got that wrong. As a result, there is little appreciation for the legislation Pelosi managed to advance—legislation which would have moved this country forward and possibly preserved a Democratic majority in the House.

No, what Pelosi got wrong was the "Public of Hell No". Had it not been for the public outccry over the Democrat over-reach, certain GOP members would have gone along. Republicans knew they were saving their own political skin by making Pelosi's Socialist agenda a combination of Kryptonite and Black Plague.

As Congress returns for its lame duck session, Pelosi can show her moxie by fighting for a stand alone extension of the middle-class tax cuts with no compromise on allowing the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy to expire. She'd also be wise to expose Republican hypocrisies—like simultaneous demands for budget cuts and increased spending on an already bloated defense budget.

As the GOP is revealed for an agenda that is 80 percent indictment and 20 percent plan, Pelosi would be ready to strike as minority leader. Remember, this is the same woman who spoke out against the Iraq War resolution—citing a lack of evidence of any imminent threat—at a time when it was considered political suicide for anyone with party leadership ambitions. She would also be a savvy strategist as the Democrats work to hold the line against Republican efforts to repeal healthcare and financial reform.

"Bush tax cuts for the wealthy". God,I am as tired of the Left's class warfare as I can be. Who does Ms.K think pays income tax? It ain't the freakin' poor! Check what the National Taxpayers Union has here. (As if the people who read this blog don't already know) There is nothing stopping Ms.K from writing a check for an extra couple grand if she thinks the Feds need more money. Bloated defense budget? It is 4th in line these days, Katrina...after Social Security, Medicare and the INTEREST ON THE NATIONAL DEBT. Of course this all depends on who you ask. Healthcare and financial reform did nothing to help these numbers and financial reform appears to do nothing other than put the taxpayers on the hook for more risky business by Wall Street (look it up yourself. My time is limited - I don't do this for a living).

In the end, it is Pelosi's tone-deafness that ended the "40-year reign" of the Leftists and prevented this country from falling into the European Socialist Democracy trap. By all mean, have her lead the minority.